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Calgary's mayor spent his Easter long weekend in China speaking to mayors about urbanization and the building of sustainable cities.

Naheed Nenshi says his trip was paid for by the World Economic Forum and the China Centre for Urban Development.

"This really was me taking my long weekend to do a little bit of community service," he said.

"These cities are growing rapidly. Environmental sustainability is a huge concern and the work that we've done on our sustainability direction in air and land and water was something that they found very useful."

The meeting took place 90 minutes outside of Shanghai so, when combined with flying time, Nenshi says there wasn't much chance for sightseeing or any other business on the five-day trip.

Being open about speaking engagements is just one part of the mayor's campaign for greater transparency at city hall.

If council ratifies the ethics package later this month, city council members could be required to submit details about land they own to a new registry. They'll also have to report gifts worth more than $150 and list the people with whom they have had meetings.